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How to add application exceptions to windows firewall

In this tutorial. I’ll be showing you how you can add an exception to a certain application in windows firewall. Placing an exception to an application means that the firewall will not block the application from allowing inbound or outbound connections to your computer.

Be careful when placing exceptions though. Make sure that the application that you’re allowing is not shady. Only place exceptions to applications which you trust and you are 100 percent sure that its safe.

To add exceptions to applications on the windows firewall. Just go to control panel. Select view by small icons. Then click on windows firewall

The windows firewall control panel module will show up. Then what you have to do next is to select ‘Allow program or feature through windows firewall’.

You will see here that there are already some applications which are allowed through the firewall. Scroll down through the listed applications and see if the application that you want to allow is in there. If its there then just tick the checkbox beside it. There are two choices though.

First is the home/network. This means that the firewall would only allow the application to have access to inbound and outbound connections inside the network. If the application that you are trying to allow is used for file sharing then the files that you share would only be accessed by those who are inside the network where you belong. People outside it would not be able to have access to it.

Second is the public. This means that everyone could have access. Even people outside the network. An example of this would be a website test. If you want people to test the website that you have made in your localhost. Then this is the option that you need to check.

But if the application that you want isn’t listed then you can always add them to the list and check them afterwards. To do that just scroll down a little and you will see the ‘allow another program’ button. Just click it.

Another window will popup and it will let you choose from the list of programs. If the program isn’t still in the list. Then just click on browse. And browse for the executable file that you use to launch the program. If you don’t know where’s the executable file of that program. Then you might want to check the startmenu and find your program there. Right click the program and select properties.

For example if you want to allow notepad through the firewall.

Just copy the directory path, next to the start in label. And then navigate into that path when you’re browsing for the program that you want to allow through the firewall.

Conclusion

That’s it, your application will now have access to the internet once you enable it through the firewall.